That actual location on my walk when the thought for this blog post came to me.

On my morning walk recently I was on a part of the path that had a set of pine trees on the one side of the path and a cornfield on the other side. A mountain breeze was blowing. I heard the wind in the pines and the wind in the corn, but the sound of the wind was different on the two sides of the path. The wind swished through the tens of thousands of pine needles and rustled through the thousands of corn leaves, stereophonic diversity! It was a fresh reminder of God’s ruach, God’s pneuma, the Holy Spirit, who blows around, into, and out of us in very unique ways, like the wind does through the pines and the corn.

I know, we’ve all preached and taught a hundred or more times on the unique gifts the Holy Spirit provides every believer. I found, however, I needed to be reminded of this myself all over again. The walk between the pines and the corn gave me a fresh incentive to quit playing the comparison game where I’m envious or jealous of other pastors and their talents or opportunities. It also provided the additional antidote to overcome a prideful attitude that leads me to think judgmentally of other pastors who don’t do ministry the way I think it should be done.

Similar to the wind making unique sounds when blowing through the pines and the corn, so the Spirit of God exhibits Himself in wonderfully different ways to each of us who has been gifted by Him to be His pastor to a group of His people. For each of us it’s a very unique call!

Yes, we’re familiar with the following statement by the apostle Paul, but instead of preaching it to others this might be a good moment to let it speak to the preacher! “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”(1 Corinthians 12:4-7)